CELL PHONE CONTROLS: The Hillsborough School Board considers stricter limits on cell phones in schools, in the wake of reports that kids use their phones to pass word of fights. (iStockphoto.com)

SUE THE BEEKEEPERS: Limona Elementary has accused two men's bees of stinging kids and leaving corrosive droppings behind. So the Hillsborough board has decided to sue the men.

"IT'S GOING TO BE BAD": Rising costs and shrinking revenue have Pasco school officials preparing for tough budget times ahead. The silver lining, if there is one, is that the district has been growing, which has limited the pain.

CHARLIE AND THE SILVER LINING: Gov. Crist exudes optimism about the budget and education in his State of the State, saying "The state of the great state of Florida is strong." To read the speech (as prepared, not necessarily as delivered) click here.

TOP OF THE CLASS PASCO: Big bubbles, smelly cheese and scientific hypotheses (Cypress Elementary)

SHAKING UP THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS: Florida Senate leaders want to change the university governance system, but folks within the system contend that chaos would follow, the Sun-Sentinel reports. More on the topic from the Palm Beach Post here and the Miami Herald here.

STOP FCAT PREP: The House K-12 Education Committee unveils its new "enhanced" Sunshine State Standards bill - really a recycled "world-class standards" bill from a year ago - adding language that would ban schools from spending state money on FCAT prep materials and prohibit them from dropping the regular curriculum in favor of FCAT prep, the Palm Beach Post reports.

NO EXCUSES NEEDED: Broward students who don't wear their school uniform no longer need to provide a religious reason to be exempted from the rule, the Miami Herald reports.

PAYING KIDS TO LEARN: New York schools are piloting a program where students get paid for good performance. So far, the district has distributed more than $500,000 to nearly 5,300 students at 58 schools, the NY Times reports. There's a bill pending in the Florida House that would establish student performance pay here, too.

FIX THE FCAT: The annual test needs improvements, but there's little hope for that if the state can't even deliver scores in a timely fashion, the Palm Beach Post editorializes.